270 ON THE 'GEOGRAPHICAL 



country. Mr. Hancock mentions a Northumberland specimen ; and, lastly, 

 we have Mr. Rowley's Brighton bird*. 



There are therefore three occurrences of the Danish Barn-Owl in 

 England, all of them having taken place on the eastern and south-eastern 

 coasts ; and in this fact consists the great interest of their visit, when taken 

 in connexion with the occasional appearance of other Scandinavian birds in 

 the same part of Great Britain — such, for instance, as Acredula caudata, 

 Cinclus melanogaster, &c. ; but announcements of Danish Barn-Owls in 

 England must be received with extreme caution, inasmuch as our own 

 species has a natural dark phase which scarcely differs from the ordinary 

 bird of the continent of Europe ; and I believe that a thorough examination 

 of the Barn- Owls of all countries would show that in every district, 

 excepting in the few localities mentioned below, both phases are found in 

 equal proportions. I must observe at least that several examples killed in 

 England recently, and brought to me as Danish Barn-Owls, have not been 

 so really, but have turned out to be the dark phase of our resident bird. 



The materials on which this paper is founded are contained in the 

 collection of the British Museum ; and I cannot contemplate the noble series 

 which we now possess in the National collection without acknowledging the 

 efforts of Dr. Giinther, the Keeper of the Zoological Department, who has 

 procured on every side the specimens necessary for a complete study of 

 these difficult birds. 



I will now proceed to consider the range of Barn-Owls ; and for this 

 purpose I may divide them into two groups — true Barn-Owls and Grass- 

 Owls ; of the latter three species (two African and one Asiatic) are known, 

 of which more presently. We commence with the Palsearctic region. 



Great Britain. In its light phase the Enghsh Barn-Owl presents such 



* Another, probably a male, was takea alive in the same dovecote, February 22, 1876. — G. D. R. 



